A major theme of Session 1 is opening one's capacity for breath, but it is also about beginning with where you are right now. And chances are, right now you are sitting.
Sitting is a thing we all do, a lot. These days, we are starting to see sitting as a problem as we discover the detriment of spending so much time being sedentary. However, many of us have no option but to sit while we work. Additionally, all of us find ourselves sitting for all kinds of reasons, even if we’ve also set intentions to move our bodies more.
Not moving enough has been linked to many diseases, and I’m sure that you have noticed for yourself some of the negative outcomes after spending an entire day sitting at your computer or in an airplane. We often talk about “getting in shape,” but we already are “in shape.” That is, we are in the shape of that which we do most frequently. If we spend most of our time sitting in the same position over and over, our bodies will adapt to that.
The problem with this is that our bodies are designed in such a way that they need to move a lot every day in order to stay healthy. For millions of years, humans lived a hunting and gathering lifestyle in which not moving was never an option. Our species evolved a specific physiology based on this necessity of movement, and our bodies have that same physiology today. We can use what we know about how our ancestors lived to understand how our sitting habits affect us today.
As the title implies, hunter-gatherers spent a lot of time tracking and running after prey, foraging and digging for food, carrying water, children, and other materials for miles every day. However, people living in the wild also spent several hours a day doing various seated activities. From food prep, clothes making, basket weaving, pottery, breastfeeding, and just hanging around the fireside chatting—there are all kinds of traditional pastimes that involve sitting. The big difference between our ancestors’ sitting and ours is not necessarily the amount of time spent but the way we are sitting.
Hunter-gatherers didn’t sit in chairs. Whatever they sat on, whether it was the ground, a rock, or a log, would only have supported them so much. Sitting in a chair tends to induce us to sit in the same way over and over. Most chairs are at a similar height, meaning our hips and knees are bent to the same degree. We have less work to do to lower ourselves into a chair than getting all the way up and down from the ground. Many chairs also have back rests, so we lean against those. We might even have “lumbar support.” Our ancestors might have occasionally leaned against a tree, but for the most part they would have used their core and back muscles to hold them up. Their “lumbar support” would come from their own bodies.
For most of human history, people sat or squatted on the ground. There are hundreds of different positions you might use to rest on the ground, including squatting and kneeling. Around the world, squatting is a very human way to rest for long periods of time, but in Western culture, people tend to squat only briefly for exercise. The widespread use of chairs means that we limit ourselves to only a few positions during our sitting time. So, while hunter-gatherers did sit as much as us, they were using many, many positions of their bodies and using their own muscles to hold themselves up.
Another big difference in the way we sit is that hunter-gatherers did not sit still for long uninterrupted periods of time. Even though they might do a lot of sitting, squatting, or kneeling, they would change positions about every 15 minutes. They also tended to be more active while they were sitting because they may have been preparing food, mending clothes, or tending a fire. Our sitting habits tend to be paired with typing at a computer, swiping at a phone, or staring at a screen. Since we gravitate towards the seat that is the most comfortable—often designing chairs very specifically with cushions and arm rests and such—we are able to stay put without our bodies complaining. If we were sitting on the ground, however, we’d probably switch up positions every 15 minutes, too.
Finally, while our ancestors did sit a lot, they were also very active during the time they were not sitting. They walked several miles a day, frequently carried heavy loads, climbed trees and dug for tubers. While many of us have no choice but to sit at work, we might be choosing to spend a lot of our non-work hours sitting as well. Maybe we are sitting in our car or the bus to get to and from work. We might be sitting at home to eat meals or relax. We often choose to sit while socializing and during professional meetings, including doctor and therapy appointments. On the other hand, if you have a very active job, then sitting outside of work is probably a welcome respite. To put it simply: it’s natural to sit a lot but not all the time.
Why does this matter?
Our bodies are designed to need a balance of rest and movement. They are made to sit, but not to sit in chairs. If you want to help your body to feel good both during seated activities and when active, then here are some ideas you can try out.
Change what you are sitting on.
Choose seats where you are providing the lumbar support. One of the primary jobs of our core musculature is to hold us up against gravity. If we are always leaning against a back rest, we’re not letting the core do its job (so it might make sense that it’s weak).
Choose seats that make you use more of your body parts. Most chairs are high enough that we hardly have to lower ourselves that much before we plop down into them. Look for a seat that is slightly lower than you are used to, so that each and every time you get up and down, you’re working your butt and leg muscles that much more. You can also start at the floor and bolster yourself up from there—with pillows, blankets, anything you want—until you find a seat as low as you can currently tolerate. You’ll also be moving your hips, knees, and ankles more—increasing the circulation of tissue-healing substances to and from these parts throughout the day.
Take a look at all the seats you currently visit each day—where you eat meals, how you transport yourself to work or school, where you spend work breaks, how you gather socially, the places you relax at home---how much variation is there? Are they all of similar height, do they all have backrests, do they all have cushioning? Once you start adding variation into the kinds of seats you use, make those different seats the most convenient ones to sit in. Have them set up in the place you most likely will actually spend time, like at your dining table or in front of your TV or computer.
Change how you are sitting.
The advantage of sitting on the floor is that so many more positions are available for your hips, knees, and ankles. Each time you change how you are sitting, you are engaging different muscles, increasing blood and nutrient flow to different parts of your body, and helping decrease excess inflammation. Although it’s super tempting to recline on a cushioned chair, harder surfaces will naturally let you know when it’s time to switch it up. No need for a notification on your smartphone to get you to move! Just start listening to the natural cues of discomfort from your body.
Bolstered Sitting for a Neutral Pelvis
Whether you are sitting in a chair or on the ground, you may feel a tendency to round your back and tuck your pelvis under you (like the person on the left in the diagram below). If we sit like this repetitively, it can put strain on our backs. At the same time, tension around our hips and legs can often make it challenging to sit with more upright posture.
Meet yourself where you are. Instead of fighting an uphill battle, you can create a slight downward slope to sit on. Place a rolled towel, blanket, or a small cushion under your pelvis (not your whole seat). You should feel your sitz bones (ischial tuberosities) directly underneath you, and there should be no pressure on your tailbone (coccyx). Bolstering your seat should make it easier to sit without a back rest. Over time, your body will be able to adapt to provide its own support with greater ease.
To Summarize:
Don’t only sit in chairs.
Sit in many different positions. Try to sit on the floor.
Switch up positions every 15 minutes or so.
When you’re not sitting, be active.
Don’t force yourself to do something that is painful or sucks for the sake of your health. Above all, listen to your body and meet yourself with kindness.
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